FLOATING DRIVE-ON DRY DOCK ASSEMBLY

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to floating dry docks and particularly to an improved floating dry dock for small craft including personal watercraft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In the past floating dry docks have been created by the assembly of a number of identical floating subunits. These units have been roughly cubical with tabs projecting from the vertical edges at or near the horizontal midline. By fastening adjacent tabs to each other, a floating dock with a substantially flat deck surface of any desired configuration could be assembled.

[0003] Examples of such units and docks assembled from such units are found in U.S. Patents 3,824,664 and 4,604,962. These patents describe hollow cubical units which in practice have been manufactured about 16 inches (40.6 cm) on a side. The units have been molded from a suitable plastic material with the tabs which project from each vertical edge positioned so that a dock of virtually any shape with a flat deck or top surface could be formed. The units have also been provided with bungholes so that the units could be partially flooded to lower the water line of some or all of the units. This has been done particularly where the dock has been used for personal watercraft.

[0004] With a personal watercraft, such as a jet ski, or with other small craft, such as a motor boat or jet boat under about 18 feet (5.5 m) in length, the goal of the floating dry dock has been to make it possible to drive the craft up onto the dock. This would enable the driver to get on and off the craft without getting in the water and would also permit the craft to be stored out of the water.

[0005] Attempts to accomplish these goals have not been entirely successful. The dry docks assembled from prior art units have been either too high above the water to permit a personal watercraft to be driven on, or too low to keep the driver and craft out of the water entirely. Keeping the craft high and dry when not in use is important to protecting the machinery of the craft. In addition, the surfaces of the dock which the craft slides over must be ordinarily above the water line, otherwise marine growths, such as barnacles, will develop and scratch the smooth bottom surface to the craft, doing damage each time the craft slides onto or off the dock.

[0006] The prior art has also included floating units like those shown in the patents identified above, but shorter. These units were about 16 inches square (about 100cm² in plan view but only about 10 inches (about 25cm) tall. In addition, in these shorter units the tabs were still about 8 inches (20cm) down from the deck surface and correspondingly closer to the bottom surface. These shorter units have been thought useful for assembling docks for light watercraft such as the shells used by college crew teams.

[0007] US 3,788,254 discloses a floating platform comprising a plurality of modular float units. The platform is suitable for supporting concentrated deadloads of varying magnitude along the length of the platform, such as when a building or structure is erected on the platform.

[0008] In a different field, namely floating airstrips, French patent No. 929,685 discloses a floating installation composed of polygonal shaped blocks that are articulated together to constitute a mosaic floor so as to spread the weight, allowing the airstrip to ride easily over large waves and to offer "dynamic floatability".

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A first aspect of the present invention provides a floating dock assembly onto which a watercraft may be driven, the dock assembly having a proximal end and a distal end, whereby a craft may approach the dock assembly from the distal end, the assembly comprising a plurality of airtight floatation units including a first group of floatation units having a first buoyancy and a second group of floatation units having a second buoyancy, the second group being less buoyant than the first group, said plurality of floatation units having a total buoyancy sufficient to support the craft with its lowermost point out of the water, said units being connected together, to form a dock having an axial extent defining a craft receiving surface which is above the surface of the water when the dock does not have a craft on it, using flexible joints between the units which permit adjacent units to flex downwardly with respect to each other upon the imposition of a downward load, wherein the second group of floatation units define a guiding surface for engaging the bottom of the watercraft and contoured to guide the watercraft lengthwise.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of placing a floating craft having a hull with an upwardly curved bow onto a dry dock comprising the steps of:

selecting a plurality of airtight floatation units from a first group of floatation units having a first buoyancy and a second group having a second buoyancy, the second group being less buoyant than the first group, so that the selected units have a total buoyancy sufficient to support the craft with its lowermost portion out of the water,

connecting the selected units, to form a dock having an axial extent defining a craft-receiving surface which is above the surface of the water when the dock does not have a craft on it, using flexible joints between the units which permit adjacent units to flex downwardly with respect to each other upon the imposition of a downward load, wherein the floatation units define a guiding surface for engaging the bottom of the craft and contoured to guide the craft lengthwise as it is driven onto the dock assembly, driving the craft up and onto the dock by forcing the bow of the craft against the floatation units at one axial end of the dock to force the units downward in the water beginning at the one axial end of the dock and moving progressively toward the other axial end of the dock as the craft moves axially along the dock.

[0011] A preferred embodiment provides a unique floating drive-on dry dock for personal watercraft or small craft under about 18 feet (about 5.5m) in length. The dock is assembled from a combination of tall and short hollow, air-tight floatation units. The tall units are roughly cubical and have tabs projecting from about midway along each vertical edge. The short units which have tabs positioned to make a deck continuous with the deck formed by the tall units and which are able to flex downward when a craft is driven onto the dock but which resist flexion in the opposite direction when the craft is in place, to thereby form a rigid, stable surface that can be walked on.

[0012] A preferred embodiment of present invention provides a floating drive-on dry dock formed from a plurality of float units each with a generally flat top or deck surface, the float units being connected together so that their top surfaces form a generally planar and horizontal deck. Each float unit has at least one side wall which faces an opposing side wall on an adjacent float unit. The float units each have a pivotable connection to the adjacent float units, the connections being above the water line when the dock is floating freely and a fixed distance below the deck surface of the float unit. The connections enable adjacent float units to rotate with respect to each other until the respective facing side walls come into contact with each other. A first group of the float units have bottom surfaces located substantially as far below the pivotable connection as their deck surfaces are above the pivotable connection whereby they can rotate downward to the same extent that they can rotate upward before the respective facing side walls come into contact with each other. A second group of float units have bottom surfaces located substantially closer to the pivotable connection whereby they can rotate downward substantially without limitation. The floating drive-on dry dock has a pair of parallel arms formed at least in part of float units from the second group of float units, and there is a bridging unit between the parallel arms, the bridging unit having a top surface which is above the water surface when the dock is floating freely.

[0013] The floating drive-on dry dock so constructed has surfaces on which the watercraft slides which are submerged only while the watercraft is being ridden onto the dock, but which remain above the surface both before and after the craft is driven onto the dock. The result is a dock that does not accumulate barnacles or other harmful marine growth. Moreover, the ability of the short units to permit flexion in one direction but not in the other permits them to flex downward while a watercraft is being driven onto the dock and to form a rigid deck once the craft is in place.

[0014] Also described is a drive-on dry dock formed from a plurality of float units each with a generally flat top surface, the float units being connected together so that their top surfaces are generally coplanar and horizontal, and each float unit having at least one side wall which faces an opposing side wall on an adjacent float unit,
   each flat unit having a pivotable connection to the adjacent float units, the connections being above the water line when the dock is floating freely and a fixed distance below the top surface of the float unit and enabling adjacent float units to rotate with respect to each other until the respective facing side walls come into contact with each other,
   a first group of the float units having bottom surfaces located substantially as far below the pivotable connection as their top surfaces are above the pivotable connection whereby they can rotate downward to the same extent that they can rotate upward before the respective facing side walls come into contact with each other,
   a second group of float units having bottom surfaces located substantially closer to the pivotable connection whereby they can rotate downward substantially without limitation,
   said floating dock having a pair of parallel arms formed at least in part of float units from said second group of float units, and
   a bridging unit between said parallel arms, said bridging unit having a top surface which is above the water surface when the dock is floating freely.

[0015] Another embodiment provides a floating dock assembly for a watercraft, said assembly comprising a plurality of floatation units connected to each other to form a bow end portion, and a pair of arms extending from the bow end portion, the units of the bow end portion and the arms having top surfaces that are substantially coplanar to define a deck lying approximately in a plane, and floatation units connected between the arms having top surfaces below the plane of the deck to receive and guide a watercraft being driven onto the dock and wherein the floatation units are generally square in plan view and have fasterners at their comers for connecting them to between one and three adjacent floatation units, some of the floatation units being tall units and having a first height, and some of the units being short units and having a second, shorter height, the floatation units connected between the arms being short units.

[0016] The invention provides a floatation dock assembly adapted to receive a watercraft driven lengthwise onto the floating dock assembly from the water and for supporting the watercraft above the surface of the water, the assembly comprising a plurality of floatation units having sufficient total buoyancy to support the craft above the water's surface when the craft is on the dock assembly, the units being connected to each other with connections that flex about an axis transverse to the lengthwise direction of the watercraft, and the floatation units defining a guiding surface to engage the bottom of the watercraft and contoured to guide the watercraft lengthwise as it is driven onto the dock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] 

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective illustration of a dock for a personal watercraft assembled according to the present invention from tall floatation units and from short floatation units;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a tall floatation unit of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view looking in the direction of arrows 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section view similar to Figure 3, but showing a short floatation unit;

Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of two tall floatation units flexed by a downward force, F, to bring their top corners into contact;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, showing the same tall floatation units flexed in the opposite direction to bring their bottom corners into contact;

Figure 7 is a schematic view of a tall floatation unit connected to a short floatation unit and showing the units flexed to bring their top corners into contact;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 but showing the short unit flexing away from the tall unit;

Figure 9 is a plan view of the dock of Figure 1;

Figure 10 is a view looking in the direction of arrows 10-10 of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a view looking in the direction of arrows 11-11 of Figure 9 showing the dock in the water and unloaded;

Figure 12 is a view generally similar to Figure 11 but showing a craft approaching the dock and the downward flexion of the short floatation units;

Figure 13 is a view generally like Figure 12 but showing the craft partially on the dock;

Figure 14 is a view generally like Figure 12, but showing the craft in place on the dock;

Figure 15 is a schematic plan view of a dock assembled according to the present invention for a small craft such as a jet boat; and

Figure 16 is a view similar to Figure 16, but showing a dock assembled for yet a different craft.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018] The dock 10 shown in Figure 1 is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The dock 10 is formed of identical, tall floatation units 12a-l and identical short floatation units 14a-g. All of the floatation units 12a-l and 14a-g are hollow and air-tight. Figures 2 and 3 show a plan and vertical section view, respectively through the tall floatation unit 12a of Figure 1. The tall floatation units 12a-l are substantially similar to that shown in U.S. Patents 3,824,644 and 4,604,962, and the disclosure of these patents is incorporated in its entirety into this application. Because the tall units 12a-l are substantially all identical to each other, in this specification the reference numeral 12 without a suffixed letter is used to designate a tall unit generically, while the specific suffixes are used to refer to particular tall units. Similar nomenclature is used in connection with the short units 14a-g.

[0019] The tall unit 12 (Figures 2 and 3) is generally cubical, although the vertical edges 16a-d are beveled as shown in Figure 2. Tabs 18a-d project from each beveled edge 16a-d, respectively. The tabs, as in the prior art, are vertically staggered to facilitate connecting each floatation unit 12 to its neighbor, as illustrated schematically in Figure 1.

[0020] The tall unit 12 is about 16.25 inches (about 41cm) tall from the crown of the top or deck surface 20 to the bottom wall 22. The tall unit is about 19.75 inches (about 50cm) on a side in plan view. Thus the tall units 12 are roughly cubical. The tabs 18a-d are positioned down from the top or deck surface 20 from about 5.5 inches (about 14cm) to about 7.5 inches (about 19cm) down from the top surface. By staggering the distance down from the deck surface 20 of the tabs 18a-d it is possible to connect the tall floatation units with their deck surfaces 20 approximately coplanar so as to make a deck surface for the floating dock 10 that is more or less flat and without any abrupt steps.

[0021] The short floatation units 14 (Figures 1 and 4) are similar to the tall units 12 except in the distance from the tabs to the bottom wall. The short floatation units 14 are about 10 inches (about 25cm) tall, but have the same plan view layout as the tall units 12. In other words the plan view shown in Figure 2 of a tall unit 12 is indistinguishable from a similar view of a short floatation unit 14. However, the elevation view, shown in Figure 4, shows the short floatation units 14 to be approximately 10 inches (about 25cm) tall from the crown of their top surfaces 30 to their bottom walls 32. The tabs 34a-d (only two shown in Figure 4) of the short units are identical to the corresponding tabs of the tall floatation units 12, and they are vertically positioned along the beveled corners (not shown) of the short floatation units the same distance down from the top or deck surface 30 as are the corresponding tabs of the tall units. As a consequence of this arrangement, the short units 14 can be interconnected with the tall units 12, and the deck surface produced will be essentially flat and without any abrupt steps.

[0022] All the floatation units 12 and 14 are manufactured of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This material has proven to be extremely rugged and to resist corrosion as well as the attachment of marine flora and fauna. Moreover, in the sections used HDPE exhibits an appropriate balance between flexibility and stiffness. The tabs 18a-d and 34a-d are slightly more than one-half inch thick. Each of these tabs has a central opening through which a fastener may be placed. Fasteners and openings like those shown in U.S. Patent 3,824,644 have proved suitable for connecting floatation units 12 and 14 to each other where there are four tabs to be joined. Where three or fewer tabs are to be joined, a plastic nut and bolt assembly 35 (Figure 5) of conventional design may be used.

[0023] When joined together, the floatation units 12 and 14 show some flexibility relative to one another. This is a desirable feature in an object such as a dock that will be subject to a variety of forces from people walking on it to watercraft being driven on it to tides and storms. Some flexibility enhances the life of the structure over a completely stiff structure. The position of the tabs 18a-d relative to the deck surface 20 and bottom wall 22 limit the amount of flexion that two tall floatation units 12 can exhibit relative to each other. As shown, for example in Figure 5, adjacent tall units 12a and 12b are fastened to each other by the tabs which are located at about the horizontal midline of the tall floatation units 12. When, for example, a force F is applied to floatation unit 12b tending to rotate it clockwise around the tabs, the top corners of units 12a and 12b are pressed together, as shown at 36 in Figure 5 and relative pivoting movement is substantially limited. Rotation of no more than a few degrees is permitted before the top corners come into contact as shown at 36 in Figure 5. Similarly rotation in the opposite direction is limited by contact of the bottom corners as shown in Figure 6 at 40. Again, only a few degrees of rotation is possible before contact between the bottom corners.

[0024] The connection between a short floatation unit 14 and a tall unit 12 (Figures 7 and 8) or between two short units 14 results in different permitted motion. The tabs 34a-d are much closer to the bottom surface 32 of the short unit 14 than are the corresponding tabs of the units 12. Therefore, the short units 14 can flex substantially in one direction, while flexion in the opposite direction is limited the same as for the tall floatation units 12. For example, as illustrated in Figure 7, the short floatation unit 14a is connected to the tall floatation unit 12a by suitable fasteners 35 joining tabs 18b and c of the tall unit with tabs 34a and d of the short unit, respectively. The short floatation unit 14a is free to rotate clockwise around the tabbed connection as shown in Figure 8 because of the flexibility of the tabs and their location near the bottom 32 of the short floatation unit. However, rotation of the short unit 14a in the counterclockwise direction is limited by contact between the top corners of the short and tall units as shown at 42. Depending on the amount of force applied, the short unit 14a can rotate in a clockwise sense (as viewed in Figure 8) as much as 10° - 15°. When two short units are connected to each other the permitted motion is slightly greater.

[0025] The asymmetry of permitted bending permits a unique dock to be assembled using both short and tall floatation units. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 11-14, a dock 10 for a personal watercraft (e.g., a jet ski) is assembled from both short floatation units 14 and tall floatation units 12. A row of three tall units 12e, f, and h (Figure 9), are closest to the shore or a permanent conventional dock (not shown). Outward from them is another row consisting of tall units 12d, g, and i. Together the six tall units 12d-i form a rectangular base 50.

[0026] Two arms 52 and 54 extend from the base 50. The arm 52 is formed of tall units 12c, 12b, and 12a followed by short units 14a, 14b, and 14c in that order. See Figure 9. The arm 54 is composed of tall units 12j, 12k, and 12l followed by short units 14d, 14e, and 14f.

[0027] The distal ends of arms 52 and 54 are connected to each other by an inverted or upside down short unit 14g (Figures 9 and 10). The short unit 14g connects the units 14c and 14f which form the ends of the arms 52 and 54, respectively, and keep the arms from splaying outward when a craft is driven between them. The short units 14 are proportioned so that the surface 32 of unit 14g (the "bottom surface" when the unit 14g is right side up) is above the water level 58 when the dock 10 is floating unloaded (Figure 11) and when it is loaded (Figure 14). This results in a surface 32 of the inverted short unit 14g that is free of marine growth that might scratch or otherwise damage the bottom of a personal watercraft.

[0028] It will be understood that the dock 10 is illustrative only, and that other configurations are possible to accommodate different sizes and types of craft. For example, docks may be assembled for use with jet boats, outboard motor boats, sailboats with centerboards, and small craft generally, namely craft under about 18 feet (about 5.5m) in length. Moreover, docks may be assembled with slips for two or more watercraft without departing from the scope of the invention. By way of example Figures 15 and 16 show different docks that can be assembled from the tall flotation units 12 and the short flotation units 14. In Figures 15 and 16, plan views of docks are shown, with the tall units being indicated by squares marked "x", the short units being indicated by "y", and the inverted short units being indicated by squares with the letter "z". The dock 100 illustrated in Figure 15 may be especially suited for a craft such as a jet boat, up to about 18 feet (about 5.5m) in length. The dock 98 in Figure 16 is more suitable for a somewhat smaller craft.

[0029] In use, a watercraft 60 may be ridden onto the dock 10. This is done by centering the craft between the arms 52 and 54 with the keel of the craft on the surface 32 of the inverted short unit 14g, as shown in Figure 12. Then a short burst of power is applied to the craft 60 by gunning its engine. The craft 60 moves forward (Figure 13), and its momentum carries it to its rest position (Figure 14). During this process the short units 14a-c and 14d-f flex downward (see Figure 13) as the weight of the craft is imposed initially on the distal ends of arms 52 and 54 (Figure 9). The connection between the short units 14 illustrated in Figure 8 makes this possible because the short units are initially forced to flex in a clockwise direction as viewed in the Figures. However, as motion of the craft 60 proceeds, the forces applied tend to rotate the floatation units 12 and 14 in the opposite direction, bringing the top corners of the units into contact and limiting the rotation motion, as shown in Figures 5 and 14.

[0030] The craft 60, once it is on the dock 10, is completely out of the water and is supported by the two arms 52 and 54 which support the hull of the craft on opposite sides of its keel. Thus the craft is stabilized against rocking movement. At the same time the weight of the craft supplies a downward force tending to press the top corners of the floatation units 12 and 14 together so that the dock 10 becomes essentially rigid.

[0031] The dock 100 illustrated in Figure 15 operates in a slightly different manner than those illustrated in the other Figures. Specifically, because jet boats are significantly heavier than personal watercraft such as jet skis, additional buoyancy is necessary. Accordingly, the dock 100 includes a bow portion 101 formed of tall floatation units 12 connected together as discussed above. The bow portion is five units wide. Two arms 102 and 103 extend toward the stern and are each formed from three tall floatation units in series. The stern portion 104 of the dock is formed of four rows of floatation units, with five units in each row. In rows 105 and 106, all the floatation units are tall units 12, except the center one in each row, which is an inverted short unit 14. In the next row 107 again the center unit is an inverted short unit 14. A tall unit 12 is located on each side of the central, inverted short unit 14 and a short unit is located on the end of each row, this time right side up. The final row 108 of the stem portion 104 is assembled entirely from short units 14, with the center three being inverted. The arrangement shown in Figure 15 defines a broad flat deck formed from the top surfaces of all the floatation units except the inverted short units, marked "z". The inverted units, "z", define a lowered center portion to receive and guide the keel of the craft into place on the dock. The surrounding tall floatation units, "x", provide the buoyancy necessary to support the jet craft high and dry when it is on the dock, while the short units, "y", in rows 107 and 108 reduce the buoyancy enough to allow the stem portion 104 to be depressed as the craft is driven onto the dock 100.

[0032] Thus it is clear that the present invention provides a unique floating, drive-on dry dock 10 for a small watercraft such as a personal watercraft 60. The dock 10 is assembled from a combination of tall floatation units 12 and short floatation units 14. The tall units 12 are roughly cubical and have tabs 18a-d projecting from about midway along each vertical edge. The short units 14 have tabs 34a-d positioned to make a deck continuous with the deck formed by the tall units 12 and which are able to flex downward when the craft 60 is driven onto the dock 10 but which resist flexion in the opposite direction when the craft is in place, to therefore form a rigid, stable surface that can be walked on.

[0033] Accordingly, the present invention provides a floating, drive-on dry dock 10 formed from a plurality of float units each with a generally flat top or deck surface, the float units being connected together so that their top surfaces 20, 30 form a generally planar and horizontal deck. Each float unit 12, 14 has at least one side wall, e.g., 38a, 38b, which faces an opposing side wall on an adjacent float unit. The float units each have a pivotable connection to the adjacent float units, the connections being above the water line 58 when the dock is floating freely and a fixed distance below the deck surface of the float unit. The connections enable adjacent float units 12, 14 to rotate with respect to each other until the respective facing side walls come into contact with each other. A first group of the float units, the tall units 12, have bottom surfaces 22 located substantially as far below the pivotable connection as their deck surfaces 20 are above the pivotable connection whereby they can rotate downward to the same extent that they can rotate upward before the respective facing side walls come into contact with each other, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

[0034] A second group of float units, the short units 14, have bottom surfaces 32 located substantially closer to the pivotable connection whereby they can rotate downward substantially without limitation as shown in Figure 8. The floating dock 10 has a pair of parallel arms 52 and 54 formed at least in part of float units from the second group of float units, and there is a bridging unit 14g between the parallel arms, the bridging unit having a top surface 32 which is above the water surface 58 when the dock 10 is floating freely.

[0035] The floating, drive-on dry dock 10 so constructed has surfaces on which the watercraft 60 slides which are submerged only while the watercraft is being ridden onto the dock, but which remain above the surface both before and after the craft is driven onto the dock. The result is a dock 10 that does not accumulate barnacles or other harmful marine growth. Moreover, the ability of the short units 14 to permit flexion in one direction but not in the other permits them to flex downward while a watercraft is being driven onto the dock and to form a rigid deck once the craft is in place.

[0036] In a further example, a dock 10, 98, or 100 (Figures 1, 15 and 16) is formed a number of interconnectable floatation units. The units are arranged so that the dock has a generally planar deck defining a bow end portion, a pair of arms leading toward the stern from the bow end portion and a guide portion connected between the arms having a top surface below that of the deck for receiving and guiding the keel of a boat.

[0037] A further example provides a floating, drive-on dry dock comprising a plurality of tall float units and a plurality of short float units, the tall and short float units being joined to each other,
   the tall and short units each having substantially vertical side walls joined to each other at comers where the adjacent side walls meet, and the short and tall float units each having substantially horizontal top and bottom surfaces joined at edges with the side walls, the top and bottom surfaces of all the float units having substantially the same rectangular contour, and the side walls of the tall units being taller than the short units,
   all of the float units having flexible tabs extending generally horizontally outward from their corners and positioned to connect with tabs from adjacent float units, the tabs being adapted to position adjacent float units a predetermined distance from each other when their side walls are parallel,
   the tabs extending from tall float units being substantially midway along the vertical height of the tall float units,
   the tabs extending from the short float units being substantially the same distance down from the top surface of the short units as the tabs on the tall units are from the top surface of the tall units,
   the dock having a first end portion including a plurality of tall float units with their tabs connected to each other, and a second end portion including a plurality of short float units with their tabs connected to each other, tabs on the first and second portions being connected to each other,
   whereby the units in the first portion are free to pivot about a horizontal axis through the tabs in an upward and downward direction until the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of adjacent units come into contact, the extent of rotation about said axis being substantially equal in both directions from an initial position in which the adjacent side walls are parallel, and the units in the second end portion of the dock are free to pivot upward about a horizontal axis through the tabs to the same extent as the units in the first end portion and downward about said axis a substantially greater extent.

Claims

1. A floating dock assembly (10, 98, 100) onto which a watercraft (68) may be driven, the dock assembly having a proximal end and a distal end, whereby a craft (48) may approach the dock assembly from the distal end, the assembly comprising a plurality of airtight floatation units (12, 14) including a first group of floatation units (12) having a first buoyancy and a second group of floatation units (14) having a second buoyancy, the second group being less buoyant than the first group, said plurality of floatation units (12, 14) having a total buoyancy sufficient to support the craft with its lowermost point out of the water, said units being connected together, to form a dock (10) having an axial extent defining a craft-receiving surface which is above the surface of the water when the dock does not have a craft on it, using flexible joints between the units which permit adjacent units to flex downwardly with respect to each other upon the imposition of a downward load, wherein the second group of floatation units (14) define a guiding surface for engaging the bottom of the watercraft (68) and contoured to guide the watercraft (68) lengthwise.

2. A dock assembly according to Claim 1, wherein the dock comprises a base and a pair of arms (52, 54) extending from the base.

3. A dock assembly (10, 98, 100) according to Claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

first means for connecting the floatation units (14) at the proximal end of the dock assembly to one another so that they have limited and substantially equal angular movement about a horizontal axis relative to one another, and second means for connecting the floatation units at the distal end of the dock to one another so that they have limited angular movement relative to one another about a horizontal axis in one angular direction and substantially greater angular movement relative to one another in the opposite angular direction about said horizontal axis.

4. The dock assembly of Claim 2 or 3 further including a member (14g) connecting the ends of the arms remote from the base.

5. The assembly of Claim 4, wherein the connecting member (14g) includes a top surface which is above the water line when the dock is free of a watercraft.

6. The assembly of Claim 5, wherein the top surfaces of the connecting member (14g) are below the water line only while a watercraft is being placed on the assembly.

7. The assembly of any of Claims 2 to 6, wherein the arms engage the hull of the craft (68) on opposite sides of the keel of the craft.

8. The assembly of any preceding claim, each of the first group of floatation units (12) having a substantially flat top surface (20) joined to sides (38a, 38b) and a bottom surface (22) to form a hollow floatation unit and having tabs projecting from the sides, the tabs on one floatation unit being connectable to the tabs of the adjacent unit so as to connect the units to each other, the tabs of the first group of floatation units being approximately at the horizontal midline of the first set of floatation units, and each of the second group of floatation units having a substantially flat top surface (30) joined to sides and a bottom (32) to form a hollow floatation unit of lesser volume than the floatation units of the first group and tabs projecting from the sides of the floatation units of the second group, the tabs (18) of the second group being positioned so that when the tabs of floatation units of the first and second groups are connected, the top surfaces of all the floatation units are substantially coplanar.

9. The assembly of Claim 8, wherein the tabs (18) of the second group of floatation units are positioned to enable the floatation units of the second group to rotate, from an initial position in which their top surfaces are substantially coplanar, more in one direction than in the other.

10. A floating dock assembly according to any preceding claim wherein said first group of floatation units comprises tall units (12) and said second group of floatation units comprises short units (14),
   the tall and short units each having substantially vertical side walls joined to each other at corners where the adjacent side walls meet, and the short and tall floatation units each having substantially horizontal top and bottom surfaces joined at edges with the side walls, the top and bottom surfaces (20, 30, 22, 32) of all the floatation units having substantially the same rectangular contour, and the side walls of the tall units being taller than the short units, all of the floatation units having flexible tabs extending generally horizontally outward from the comers of each of the floatation units and positioned to connect with tabs from adjacent floatation units, the tabs being adapted to position adjacent floatation units a predetermined distance from each other when their side walls are parallel,
   the tabs (18) extending from tall floatation units (12) being substantially midway along the vertical height of the tall floatation units,
   the tabs (18) extending from the short floatation units (14) being substantially the same distance down from the top surface of the short units as the tabs on the tall units are from the top surface of the tall units, the dock assembly (10, 98, 100) having a first end portion including a plurality of tall floatation units (12) with their tabs (18) connected to each other, and a second end portion including a plurality of short floatation units (14) with their tabs (18) connected to each other, tabs on the first and second portions being connected to each other,
   whereby the units in the first portion are free to pivot about a horizontal axis through the tabs in an upward and downward direction until the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of adjacent units come into contact, the extent of rotation about said axis being substantially equal in both directions from an initial position in which the adjacent side walls are parallel, and the units in the second end portion of the dock are free to pivot upward about a horizontal axis through the tabs to the same extent as the units in the first end portion and downward about said axis a substantially greater extent.

11. The dock assembly of Claim 10, wherein the second end portion includes a pair of arms (52, 54) extending from the first end portion parallel to each other, the arms being connected to each other to maintain their parallel relationship.

12. The dock assembly of Claims 10 or 11, wherein the second end portion includes a pair of arms (52, 54) each formed at least of connected short floatation units, said arms extending from the first end portion of the dock (10) parallel to each other, and a short floatation unit connected between the arms to maintain the arms parallel to each other.

13. The dock assembly of Claim 10 or 11 including a plurality of short floatation units (14) connected between said arms to maintain the arms parallel to each other.

14. The dock assembly of any preceding claim, wherein said assembly is adapted to receive a water craft (68) driven lengthwise onto the dock assembly from the water and for supporting the craft above the surface of the water, the floatation units (14) being connected to each other with connections which flex about an axis transverse to the lengthwise direction of the craft.

15. The dock assembly (10, 98, 100) of any preceding claim, wherein said flexible joints permit adjacent units to flex downwardly with respect to each other upon the imposition of a downward load.

16. A method of placing a floating craft (68) having a hull with an upwardly curved bow onto a dry dock comprising the steps of:

selecting a plurality of airtight floatation units (12, 14) from a first group of floatation units (12) having a first buoyancy and a second group (14) having a second buoyancy, the second group being less buoyant than the first group, so that the selected units have a total buoyancy sufficient to support the craft with its lowermost portion out of the water,

connecting the selected units (12, 14), to form a dock (10) having an axial extent defining a craft-receiving surface which is above the surface of the water when the dock does not have a craft on it, using flexible joints between the units which permit adjacent units to flex downwardly with respect to each other upon the imposition of a downward load, wherein the floatation units (14) define a guiding surface for engaging the bottom of the craft and contoured to guide the craft lengthwise as it is driven onto the dock assembly, driving the craft up and onto the dock by forcing the bow of the craft against the floatation units at one axial end of the dock to force the units downward in the water beginning at the one axial end of the dock and moving progressively toward the other axial end of the dock as the craft moves axially along the dock.

17. The method of Claim 16, wherein the step of connecting the units includes assembling the units into a dock having a pair of axially extending arms (52, 54) having free ends at said one axial end of the dock and providing a connecting member (14g) between the arms to keep the arms a selected distance apart at said one end of the dock.

18. The method of Claim 17, wherein the step of connecting the units includes assembling the arms using units selected from the second group (14) at the free ends of each arm.

19. The method of any one of Claims 16 to 18, wherein the floatation units have generally planar top surfaces (20) and the step of driving the craft up and onto the dock includes driving the craft up and onto the dock so that its hull presses downward on the top surface of at least some of the units so as to prevent those units from flexing with respect to the adjacent units.

20. The method of Claim 17, wherein the step of connecting the selected units includes assembling the selected units to form a dock having a base (50) and a pair of arms (52, 54) extending from the base, the floatation units of the base being joined to each other for limited relative movement so as to form a substantially rigid structure, and flexible connections between at least some of the units of each arm, the flexible connections between the units (14) permitting each unit to pivot upward with respect to its immediately adjoining unit to a first limited extent and downward with respect to the same adjoining unit to a substantially greater extent.

21. The method of Claim 20 further including the step of assembling a connecting member (14g) to connect the ends of the arms remote from the base.

22. The method of any one of Claims 16 to 18, wherein the step of connecting the selected units to form a dock includes assembling the selected units to form arms (52, 54) that engage the hull of the craft on opposite sides of the keel of the craft.

23. The method of any of Claims 16 to 22, wherein the step of selecting a plurality of airtight floatation units includes the step of selecting floatation units from a first set of floatation units (12), each floatation unit of the first set having a substantially flat top surface (20) joined to sides (38a, 38b) and a bottom surface (22) to form a hollow floatation unit and having tabs (18) projecting from the sides, the tabs on one floatation unit being connectable to the tabs of the adjacent floatation units so as to connect the units to each other, the tabs of the first set of floatation units being approximately at the horizontal midline of the first set of floatation units and a second set of floatation units (14), the second set of floatation units each having a substantially flat top surface 30) joined to sides and a bottom (32) to form a hollow floatation unit of lesser volume than the floatation units of the first set, and tabs (34) projecting from the sides of the floatation units of the second set, of tabs of the second set being positioned so that when the tabs of floatation units of the first and second sets are connected, the top surfaces of all floatation units are substantially coplanar.

24. A method of driving a watercraft onto a floating dock assembly according to any of Claims 1 to 15.

Ansprüche

1. Schwimmdockaufbau (10, 98, 100), auf den ein Wasserfahrzeug (68) gefahren werden kann, wobei der Dockaufbau ein proximales Ende und ein distales Ende hat und wobei ein Fahrzeug (48) sich dem Dockaufbau vom distalen Ende her nähern kann, wobei der Aufbau eine Mehrzahl luftdichter Schwimmeinheiten (12, 14) umfaßt, die eine erste Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten (12) mit einem ersten Auftrieb und eine zweite Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten (14) mit einem zweiten Auftrieb beinhalten, wobei die zweite Gruppe weniger Auftrieb hat als die erste Gruppe, wobei diese Mehrzahl von Schwimmeinheiten (12,14) einen Gesamtauftrieb hat, der ausreichend ist, um das Fahrzeug mit seinem untersten Ende aus dem Wasser zu heben, wobei besagte Einheiten miteinander verbunden sind, um ein Dock (10) mit einer axialen Ausdehnung zu bilden, die eine ein Fahrzeug aufnehmende Oberfläche festlegt, welche, wenn sich kein Fahrzeug auf dem Dock befindet, über der Wasseroberfläche liegt, unter Verwendung flexibler Verbindungsstücke zwischen den Einheiten, die es benachbarten Einheiten erlauben, sich bei Aufbringen einer nach unten gerichteten Last relativ zueinander nach unten zu biegen, wobei die zweite Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten (14) eine Führungsfläche definiert, um mit dem Boden des Wasserfahrzeugs (68) in Eingriff zu treten, und die so geformt ist, daß sie das Wasserfahrzeug (68) in Längsrichtung führt.

2. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Dock eine Grundfläche und ein Paar von Armen (52, 54) umfaßt, die sich von der Grundfläche aus erstrecken.

3. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, der weiterhin umfaßt:

erste Mittel, um die Schwimmeinheiten (14) am proximalen Ende des Dockaufbaus miteinander zu verbinden, so daß sie sich in eingeschränktem Maße und um im wesentlichen gleiche Winkel um eine horizontale Achse relativ zueinander bewegen können, und zweite Mittel, um die Schwimmeinheiten am distalen Ende des Docks miteinander zu verbinden, so daß sie relativ zueinander eine eingeschränkte Drehbewegung um eine horizontale Achse in einer Drehrichtung und eine wesentlich größere Drehbewegung in der entgegengesetzten Drehrichtung um besagte horizontale Achse relativ zueinander durchführen können.

4. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 2 oder 3, der weiterhin ein Glied (14g) umfaßt, um die von der Basis entfernt gelegenen Enden der Arme miteinander zu verbinden.

5. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 4, wobei das Verbindungsglied (14g) eine obere Fläche umfaßt, die oberhalb der Wasserlinie liegt, wenn sich kein Fahrzeug im Dock befindet.

6. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 5, wobei die obere Fläche des Verbindungsglieds (14g) nur dann unterhalb der Wasserlinie liegt, wenn ein Fahrzeug auf dem Dockaufbau plaziert wird.

7. Dockaufbau nach einem der Ansprüche 2 bis 6, wobei die Arme mit dem Rumpf des Fahrzeugs (68) auf gegenüberliegenden Seiten des Schiffskiels in Eingriff treten.

8. Dockaufbau nach einem der vorstehenden Ansprüche, wobei jede aus der ersten Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten (12) eine im wesentlichen flache obere Oberfläche (20) hat, die mit Seiten (38a, 38b) und einer unteren Oberfläche (22) verbunden ist, um eine hohle Schwimmeinheit zu bilden, und die von den Seiten vorspringende Laschen hat, wobei die Laschen an einer Schwimmeinheit mit den Laschen der benachbarten Einheit verbindbar sind, um die Einheiten miteinander zu verbinden, wobei die Laschen der ersten Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten etwa an der horizontalen Mittellinie des ersten Satzes von Schwimmeinheiten angeordnet sind, und wobei jede aus der zweiten Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten eine im wesentlichen flache obere Fläche (30) hat, die mit Seiten und einem Boden (32) verbunden ist, um eine hohle Schwimmeinheit zu bilden, die ein geringeres Volumen hat als die Schwimmeinheiten der ersten Gruppe, und die Laschen hat, die von den Seiten der Schwimmeinheiten der zweiten Gruppe vorspringen, wobei die Laschen (18) der zweiten Gruppe so angeordnet sind, daß die oberen Flächen aller Schwimmeinheiten im wesentlichen in derselben Ebene liegen, wenn die Laschen der Schwimmeinheiten der ersten und der zweiten Gruppe miteinander verbunden werden.

9. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 8, wobei die Laschen (18) der zweiten Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten so angeordnet sind, daß sie es den Schwimmeinheiten der zweiten Gruppe ermöglichen, sich aus einer Anfangsposition heraus, in der ihre oberen Flächen im wesentlichen in derselben Ebene liegen, mehr in die eine als in die andere Richtung zu drehen.

10. Schwimmdockanordnung nach einem der vorstehenden Ansprüche, wobei besagte erste Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten hohe Einheiten (12) und besagte zweite Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten kurze Einheiten (14) umfaßt,
   wobei die hohen und die kurzen Einheiten jeweils im wesentlichen vertikale Seitenwände haben, die an den Ecken, an denen sich die benachbarten Seitenwände treffen, miteinander verbunden sind, und wobei die kurzen und die hohen Schwimmeinheiten jeweils im wesentlichen horizontale obere und untere Flächen aufweisen, die an den Ecken mit den Seitenwänden verbunden sind, wobei die oberen und unteren Flächen (20, 30, 22, 32) aller Schwimmeinheiten im wesentlichen denselben rechteckigen Umriß haben und die Seitenwände der hohen Einheiten höher sind als die der kurzen Einheiten, wobei alle Schwimmeinheiten flexible Laschen haben, die sich im allgemeinen horizontal aus den Ecken jeder der Schwimmeinheiten heraus erstrecken und die so angeordnet sind, daß sie sich mit den Laschen benachbarter Schwimmeinheiten verbinden, wobei die Laschen geeignet sind, benachbarte Schwimmeinheiten mit einem vorbestimmten Abstand auseinanderzuhalten, wenn ihre Seitenwände parallel sind,
   wobei die Laschen (18), die sich von hohen Schwimmeinheiten (12) aus erstrecken, sich im wesentlichen in der Mitte der vertikalen Höhe der hohen Schwimmeinheiten befinden,
   wobei die Laschen (18), die sich von den kurzen Schwimmeinheiten (14) aus erstrecken, im wesentlichen mit demselben Abstand von der oberen Oberfläche der kurzen Einheiten entfernt liegen wie die Laschen der hohen Einheiten von der oberen Oberfläche der hohen Einheiten, wobei der Dockaufbau (10, 98, 100) einen ersten Endabschnitt aufweist, der eine Mehrzahl hoher Schwimmeinheiten (12) beinhaltet, deren Laschen (18) miteinander verbunden sind, und einen zweiten Endabschnitt aufweist, der eine Mehrzahl kurzer Schwimmeinheiten (14) aufweist, deren Laschen (18) miteinander verbunden sind, wobei die Laschen des ersten und des zweiten Endabschnitts miteinander verbunden sind,
   wobei die Einheiten in dem ersten Abschnitt frei sind, um sich durch die Laschen nach oben und nach unten hin um eine horizontale Achse zu drehen, bis die oberen bzw. die unteren Oberflächen benachbarter Einheiten in Kontakt kommen, wobei das Ausmaß der Drehung um besagte Achse in beide Richtungen von einem Anfangspunkt aus, bei dem die benachbarten Seitenwände parallel sind, im wesentlichen gleich ist, und wobei die Einheiten in dem zweiten Endabschnitt des Docks sich durch die Laschen nach oben hin frei um eine horizontale Achse im gleichen Maße wie die Einheiten in dem ersten Endabschnitt und nach unten hin um ein wesentlich größeres Maß um besagte Achse drehen können.

11. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 10, wobei der zweite Endabschnitt ein Paar von Armen (52, 54) beinhaltet, die sich vom ersten Endabschnitt aus parallel zueinander erstrecken, wobei die Arme miteinander verbunden sind, um ihre Parallelität zueinander aufrechtzuerhalten.

12. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 10 oder 11, wobei der zweite Endabschnitt ein Paar von Armen (52, 54) beinhaltet, die jeweils zumindest aus kurzen Schwimmeinheiten gebildet sind, wobei sich besagte Arme von dem ersten Endabschnitt des Docks (10) aus parallel zueinander erstrecken, und wobei eine kurze Schwimmeinheit zwischen den Armen angeordnet ist, um die Arme zueinander parallel zu halten.

13. Dockaufbau nach Anspruch 10 oder 11, der eine Mehrzahl kurzer Schwimmeinheiten (14) beinhaltet, die zwischen besagten Armen angeordnet sind, um die Arme zueinander parallel zu halten.

14. Dockaufbau nach einem der vorstehenden Ansprüche, wobei besagter Aufbau geeignet ist, ein Wasserfahrzeug (68) aufzunehmen, das aus dem Wasser in Längsrichtung auf das Dock aufgefahren wird, und das Fahrzeug über die Wasseroberfläche zu heben, wobei die Schwimmeinheiten (14) über Verbindungen miteinander verbunden sind, die sich um eine quer zur Längsrichtung des Fahrzeugs verlaufende Achse biegen.

15. Dockaufbau (10, 98, 100) nach einem der vorstehenden Ansprüche, wobei besagte flexible Verbindungsstücke es benachbarten Einheiten erlauben, sich bei Aufbringen einer nach unten gerichteten Last relativ zueinander nach unten zu biegen.

16. Verfahren zum Plazieren eines Wasserfahrzeugs (68), das einen Rumpf mit einem nach oben gebogenen Bug hat, auf einem Trockendock, das die folgenden Schritte beinhaltet:

Auswählen einer Mehrzahl luftdichter Schwimmeinheiten (12, 14) aus einer ersten Gruppe von Schwimmeinheiten (12) mit einem ersten Auftrieb und einer zweiten Gruppe (14) mit einem zweiten Auftrieb, wobei die zweite Gruppe weniger Auftrieb hat als die erste Gruppe, so daß die auswählen Einheiten einen Gesamtauftrieb haben, der ausreichend ist, um das Fahrzeug mit seinem untersten Teil aus dem Wasser zu heben,

Verbinden der ausgewählten Einheiten (12, 14), um ein Dock (10) zu bilden mit einer axialen Ausdehnung, das eine ein Fahrzeug aufnehmende Oberfläche festlegt, die oberhalb der Wasseroberfläche liegt, wenn sich kein Fahrzeug im Dock befindet, unter Verwendung flexibler Verbindungsstücke zwischen den Einheiten, die es benachbarten Einheiten erlauben, sich bei Aufbringen einer nach unten gerichteten Last relativ zueinander nach unten zu biegen, wobei die Schwimmeinheiten (14) eine Führungsfläche definieren, um mit dem Boden des Fahrzeugs in Eingriff zu treten, und die so geformt ist, daß sie das Fahrzeug in Längsrichtung führt, wenn es auf den Dockaufbau gefahren wird, wobei das Fahrzeug auf und in das Dock gefahren wird, indem der Bug des Fahrzeugs an einem axialen Ende des Docks gegen die Schwimmeinheiten gedrückt wird, um die Schwimmeinheiten an diesem einen axialen Ende des Docks beginnend unter Wasser zu drücken und die Bewegung allmählich zum anderen axialen Ende des Docks hin fortzusetzen, während sich das Fahrzeug axial entlang des Docks bewegt.

17. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, wobei der Schritt des Verbindens der Einheiten das Zusammenfügen der Einheiten zu einem Dock mit einem Paar von sich axial erstreckenden Armen (52, 54), die an besagtem einem axialem Ende des Docks freie Enden haben, und das Bereitstellen eines Verbindungsglieds (14g) zwischen den Armen, um die Arme an besagtem einem Ende des Docks um einen ausgewählten Abstand auseinanderzuhalten, beinhaltet.

18. Verfahren nach Anspruch 17, wobei der Schritt des Verbindens der Einheiten das Zusammenfügen der Arme an dem freien Ende jedes Arms unter Verwendung von aus der zweiten Gruppe (14) ausgewählten Einheiten beinhaltet.

19. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 16 bis 18, wobei die Schwimmeinheiten im allgemeinen ebene obere Flächen (20) haben und wobei der Schritt des Fahrens des Fahrzeugs auf und in das Dock beinhaltet: das Fahren des Fahrzeugs auf und in das Dock, so daß sein Rumpf die obere Fläche wenigstens einiger der Einheiten nach unten drückt, um zu verhindern, daß sich diese Einheiten relativ zu den benachbarten Einheiten biegen.

20. Verfahren nach Anspruch 17, wobei der Schritt des Verbindens der ausgewählten Einheiten das Zusammenbauen der ausgewählten Einheiten beinhaltet, um ein Dock zu bilden, das eine Basis (50) und ein Paar von Armen (52, 54) aufweist, die sich von der Basis erstrecken, wobei die Schwimmeinheiten der Basis für eine eingeschränkte relative Bewegung miteinander verbunden sind, um eine im wesentlichen starre Struktur zu bilden, und mit flexiblen Verbindungen zwischen zumindest einigen der Einheiten jedes Arms, wobei die flexiblen Verbindungen zwischen den Einheiten (14) es jeder Einheit erlauben, sich bezüglich ihrer direkt benachbarten Einheit in einem ersten beschränkten Maß nach oben und bezüglich derselben benachbarten Einheit um ein wesentlich größeres Maß nach unten zu drehen.

21. Verfahren nach Anspruch 20, das weiterhin den Schritt des Montierens eines Verbindungsglieds (14g) beinhaltet, um die von der Basis entfernt liegenden Enden der Arme miteinander zu verbinden.

22. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 16 bis 18, wobei der Schritt des Verbindens der ausgewählten Einheiten zur Bildung eines Docks das Zusammensetzen der ausgewählten Einheiten beinhaltet, um Arme (52, 54) zu bilden, die mit dem Rumpf des Fahrzeugs auf den gegenüberliegenden Seiten des Kiels des Fahrzeugs in Eingriff treten.

23. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 16 bis 22, wobei der Schritt des Auswählens einer Mehrzahl luftdichter Schwimmeinheiten den Schritt des Auswählens von Schwimmeinheiten aus einem ersten Satz von Schwimmeinheiten (12), wobei jede Schwimmeinheit des ersten Satzes eine im wesentlichen flache obere Fläche (20) hat, die mit Seiten (38a, 38b) und einer unteren Fläche (22) verbunden ist, um eine hohle Schwimmeinheit zu bilden, und die Laschen (18) hat, die von den Seiten vorspringen, wobei die Laschen einer Schwimmeinheit mit den Laschen der benachbarten Schwimmeinheiten verbindbar sind, um die Einheiten miteinander zu verbinden, wobei sich die Laschen des ersten Satzes von Schwimmeinheiten ungefähr an der horizontalen Mittellinie des ersten Satzes von Schwimmeinheiten befinden, und einem zweiten Satz von Schwimmeinheiten (14) beinhaltet, wobei jede aus dem zweiten Satz von Schwimmeinheiten eine im wesentlichen flache obere Fläche (30) hat, die mit Seiten und einem Boden (32) verbunden ist, um eine hohle Schwimmeinheit zu bilden, deren Volumen geringer ist als das der Schwimmeinheiten des ersten Satzes, und Laschen (34) aufweist, die von den Seiten der Schwimmeinheiten des zweiten Satzes vorspringen, wobei die Laschen des zweiten Satzes so angeordnet sind, daß die oberen Flächen aller Schwimmeinheiten im wesentlichen in derselben Ebene liegen, wenn die Laschen der Schwimmeinheiten des ersten und des zweiten Satzes miteinander verbunden werden.

24. Verfahren zum Fahren eines Wasserfahrzeugs auf einen Schwimmdockaufbau nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 15.

Revendications

1. Ensemble formant dock flottant (10, 98, 100) sur lequel un bateau (68) peut être entraîné, l'ensemble formant dock ayant une extrémité proximale et une extrémité distale, de sorte qu'une embarcation (48) peut approcher de l'ensemble formant dock à partir de l'extrémité distale, l'ensemble comportant une pluralité d'unités de flottaison étanches à l'air (12, 14) incluant un premier groupe d'unités de flottaison (12) ayant une première flottabilité et un second groupe d'unités de flottaison (14) ayant une seconde flottabilité, le second groupe ayant une flottabilité inférieure à celle du premier groupe, ladite pluralité d'unités de flottaison (12, 14) ayant une flottabilité totale suffisante pour supporter l'embarcation ayant son point le plus bas hors de l'eau, lesdites unités étant connectées ensemble, pour former un dock (10) ayant une étendue axiale définissant une surface de réception d'embarcation qui est au-dessus de la surface de l'eau lorsque le dock ne supporte pas d'embarcation, en utilisant des joints flexibles entre les unités qui permettent à des unités adjacentes de se fléchir vers le bas les unes par rapport aux autres lors de l'imposition d'une charge vers le bas, dans lequel le second groupe d'unités de flottaison (14) définit une surface de guidage destinée à venir en prise avec le fond du bateau (68), et profilée pour guider le bateau (68) longitudinalement

2. Ensemble formant dock selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le dock comporte une base et une paire de bras (52, 54) s'étendant à partir de la base.

3. Ensemble formant dock (10, 98, 100) selon la revendication 1 ou 2, comportant de plus :

des premiers moyens pour relier les unités de flottaison (14) les unes aux autres au niveau de l'extrémité proximale de l'ensemble formant dock, de sorte qu'elles ont un déplacement angulaire limité et sensiblement égal les unes par rapport aux autres autour d'un axe horizontal, et des seconds moyens pour relier les unités de flottaison les unes aux autres au niveau de l'extrémité distale du dock, de sorte qu'elles ont un déplacement angulaire limité les unes par rapport aux autres autour d'un axe horizontal dans une première direction angulaire, et un déplacement angulaire sensiblement plus grand les unes par rapport aux autres dans la direction angulaire opposée par rapport audit axe horizontal.

4. Ensemble formant dock selon la revendication 2 ou 3, comportant de plus un élément (14g) reliant les extrémités des bras à distance de la base.

5. Ensemble selon la revendication 4, dans lequel l'élément de connexion (14g) comporte une surface supérieure qui est située au-dessus de la ligne de flottaison lorsque le dock n'a pas de bateau.

6. Ensemble selon la revendication 5, dans lequel les surfaces supérieures de l'élément de connexion (14g) sont situées en dessous de la ligne de flottaison uniquement lorsqu'un bateau est placé sur l'ensemble.

7. Ensemble selon l'une quelconque des revendications 2 à 6, dans lequel les bras viennent en prise avec la coque de l'embarcation (68) sur des côtés opposés à la quille de l'embarcation.

8. Ensemble selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, chaque unité du premier groupe d'unités de flottaison (12) ayant une surface supérieure sensiblement plate (20) reliée à des côtés (38a, 38b) et à une surface de fond (22) pour former une unité de flottaison creuse, et ayant des pattes faisant saillie à partir des côtés, les pattes situées sur une unité de flottaison pouvant être connectées aux pattes de l'unité adjacente, de manière à relier les unités les unes aux autres, les pattes du premier groupe d'unités de flottaison étant approximativement situées au niveau de la ligne médiane horizontale du premier ensemble d'unités de flottaison, et chaque unité du second groupe d'unités de flottaison ayant une surface supérieure sensiblement plate (30) reliée à des côtés et un fond (32) pour former une unité de flottaison creuse ayant un volume inférieur à celui des unités de flottaison du premier groupe et des pattes faisant saillie à partir des côtés des unités de flottaison du second groupe, les pattes (18) du second groupe étant positionnées de sorte que lorsque les pattes des unités de flottaison des premier et second groupes sont connectées, les surfaces supérieures de toutes les unités de flottaison sont sensiblement coplanaires.

9. Ensemble selon la revendication 8, dans lequel les pattes (18) du second groupe d'unités de flottaison sont positionnées pour permettre aux unités de flottaison du second groupe de tourner plus dans une direction que dans l'autre à partir d'une position initiale dans laquelle leurs surfaces supérieures sont sensiblement coplanaires.

10. Ensemble formant dock flottant selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel ledit premier groupe d'unités de flottaison est constitué de grandes unités (12), et ledit second groupe d'unités de flottaison est constitué de petites unités (14),
   les unités grandes et unités petites ayant chacune des parois latérales sensiblement verticales reliées les unes aux autres au niveau des coins, là où les parois latérales adjacentes se rejoignent, et les unités de flottaison petites et grandes ayant chacune des surfaces supérieure et inférieure sensiblement horizontales reliées au niveau de bords avec les parois latérales, les surfaces supérieure et inférieure (20, 30, 22, 32) de toutes les unités de flottaison ayant sensiblement le même profil rectangulaire, et les parois latérales des grandes unités étant plus grandes que celles des petites unités, toutes les unités de flottaison ayant des pattes flexibles s'étendant généralement horizontalement vers l'extérieur à partir des coins de chacune des unités de flottaison, et positionnées pour se connecter à des pattes d'unités de flottaison adjacentes, les pattes étant adaptées pour positionner des unités de flottaison adjacentes à une distance prédéterminée les unes par rapport aux autres lorsque leurs parois latérales sont parallèles,
   les pattes (18) s'étendant à partir des grandes unités de flottaison (12) étant sensiblement à mi-chemin le long de la hauteur verticale des grandes unités de flottaison,
   les pattes (18) s'étendant à partir des petites unités de flottaison (14) étant sensiblement à la même distance vers le bas à partir de la surface supérieure des petites unités que les pattes situées sur les grandes unités le sont à partir de la surface supérieure des grandes unités, l'ensemble formant dock (10, 98, 100) ayant une première partie d'extrémité comportant une pluralité de grandes unités de flottaison (12) ayant leurs pattes (18) connectées les unes aux autres, et une seconde partie d'extrémité comportant une pluralité de petites unités de flottaison (14) ayant leurs pattes (18) reliées les unes aux autres, les pattes situées sur les première et seconde parties étant reliées les unes aux autres,
   de sorte que les unités de la première partie sont libres de pivoter autour d'un axe horizontal par l'intermédiaire des pattes dans une direction vers le haut et vers le bas jusqu'à ce que les surfaces supérieure et inférieure, respectivement, d'unités adjacentes viennent en contact, l'étendue de rotation autour dudit axe étant sensiblement égale dans les deux directions à partir d'une position initiale dans laquelle les parois latérales adjacentes sont parallèles, et les unités de la seconde partie d'extrémité du dock sont libres de pivoter vers le haut autour d'un axe horizontal par l'intermédiaire des pattes sur la même étendue que les unités de la première partie d'extrémité, et vers le bas autour dudit axe sur une étendue sensiblement supérieure.

11. Ensemble formant dock selon la revendication 10, dans lequel la seconde partie d'extrémité comporte une paire de bras (52, 54) s'étendant parallèlement l'un à l'autre à partir de la première partie d'extrémité, les bras étant connectés l'un à l'autre pour maintenir leur relation parallèle.

12. Ensemble formant dock selon la revendication 10 ou 11, dans lequel la seconde partie d'extrémité comporte une paire de bras (52, 54) formés chacun au moins des petites unités de flottaison connectées, lesdits bras s'étendant parallèlement l'un à l'autre à partir de la première partie d'extrémité du dock (10), et une petite unité de flottaison connectée entre les bras pour maintenir les bras parallèles l'un à l'autre.

13. Ensemble formant dock selon la revendication 10 ou 11, comportant une pluralité de petites unités de flottaison (14) connectées entre lesdits bras pour maintenir les bras parallèles l'un à l'autre.

14. Ensemble formant dock selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel ledit ensemble est adapté pour recevoir un bateau (68) entraîné longitudinalement sur l'ensemble formant dock à partir de l'eau, et pour supporter l'embarcation au-dessus de la surface de l'eau, les unités de flottaison (14) étant reliées les unes aux autres à l'aide de connexions qui fléchissent autour d'un axe transversal à la direction longitudinale de l'embarcation.

15. Ensemble formant dock (10, 98, 100) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel lesdits joints flexibles permettent aux unités adjacentes de fléchir vers le bas les unes par rapport aux autres lors de l'imposition d'une charge vers le bas.

16. Procédé pour positionner une embarcation flottante (68) ayant une coque munie d'une proue incurvée vers le haut sur une cale sèche, comportant les étapes consistant à :

sélectionner une pluralité d'unités de flottaison étanches à l'air (12, 14) à partir d'un premier groupe d'unités de flottaison (12) ayant une première flottabilité et d'un second groupe (14) ayant une seconde flottabilité, le second groupe ayant une flottabilité inférieure à celle du premier groupe, de sorte que les unités sélectionnées ont une flottabilité totale suffisante pour supporter l'embarcation ayant sa partie la plus basse hors de l'eau,

relier les unités sélectionnées (12, 14), pour former un dock (10) ayant une étendue axiale définissant une surface de réception d'embarcation qui est au-dessus de la surface de l'eau lorsque le dock n'a pas d'embarcation sur lui, en utilisant des joints flexibles situés entre les unités qui permettent aux unités adjacentes de fléchir vers le bas les unes par rapport aux autres lors de l'imposition d'une charge vers le bas, dans lequel les unités de flottaison (14) définissent une surface de guidage destinée à venir en prise avec le fond de l'embarcation et profilée pour guider l'embarcation longitudinalement lorsqu'elle est entraînée sur l'ensemble formant dock, entraîner l'embarcation vers le haut, et sur le dock, en poussant la proue de l'embarcation contre les unités de flottaison au niveau d'une première extrémité axiale du dock afin de pousser les unités vers le bas dans l'eau, en commençant au niveau de la première extrémité axiale du dock et en se déplaçant progressivement vers l'autre extrémité axiale du dock, à mesure que l'embarcation se déplace axialement le long du dock.

17. Procédé selon la revendication 16, dans lequel l'étape consistant à relier les unités comporte l'étape consistant à assembler les unités en un dock ayant une paire de bras s'étendant axialement (52, 54) comportant des extrémités libres au niveau de ladite première extrémité axiale du dock, et à agencer un élément de connexion (14g) entre les bras pour maintenir les bras séparés d'une distance sélectionnée au niveau de ladite première extrémité du dock.

18. Procédé selon la revendication 17, dans lequel l'étape consistant à relier les unités comporte l'étape consistant à assembler les bras en utilisant des unités sélectionnées à partir du second groupe (14) au niveau des extrémités libres de chaque bras.

19. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 16 à 18, dans lequel les unités de flottaison ont des surfaces supérieures généralement planes (20), et l'étape consistant à entraîner l'embarcation vers le haut, et sur le dock, comporte l'étape consistant à entraîner l'embarcation vers le haut, et sur le dock, de sorte que sa coque appuie vers le bas sur la surface supérieure d'au moins certaines des unités, de manière à empêcher ces unités de fléchir par rapport aux unités adjacentes.

20. Procédé selon la revendication 17, dans lequel l'étape consistant à connecter les unités sélectionnées comporte l'étape consistant à assembler les unités sélectionnées pour former un dock ayant une base (50) et une paire de bras (52, 54) s'étendant à partir de la base, les unités de flottaison de la base étant reliées les unes aux autres pour un déplacement relatif limité de manière à former une structure sensiblement rigide, et des connexions flexibles entre au moins certaines des unités de chaque bras, les connexions flexibles entre les unités (14) permettant à chaque unité de pivoter vers le haut par rapport à son unité immédiatement contiguë sur une première étendue limitée, et vers le bas par rapport à la même unité contiguë sur une étendue sensiblement plus importante.

21. Procédé selon la revendication 20, comportant de plus l'étape consistant à assembler un élément de connexion (14g) afin de relier les extrémités des bras à distance de la base.

22. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 16 à 18, dans lequel l'étape consistant à relier les unités sélectionnées afin de former un dock comporte l'étape consistant à assembler les unités sélectionnées pour former des bras (52, 54) qui viennent en prise avec la coque de l'embarcation sur les côtés opposés de la quille de l'embarcation.

23. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 16 à 22, dans lequel l'étape consistant à sélectionner une pluralité d'unités de flottaison étanches à l'air comporte l'étape consistant à sélectionner des unités de flottaison à partir d'un premier ensemble d'unités de flottaison (12), chaque unité de flottaison du premier ensemble ayant une surface supérieure sensiblement plate (20) reliée à des côtés (38a, 38b), et une surface de fond (22) pour former une unité de flottaison creuse et ayant des pattes (18) faisant saillie à partir des côtés, les pattes situées sur une première unité de flottaison pouvant être reliées aux pattes des unités de flottaison adjacentes de manière à relier les unités les unes aux autres, les pattes du premier ensemble d'unités de flottaison étant situées approximativement au niveau de la ligne médiane horizontale du premier ensemble d'unités de flottaison, et un second ensemble d'unités de flottaison (14), chaque unité du second ensemble d'unités de flottaison ayant une surface supérieure sensiblement plate (30), reliée à des côtés, et un fond (32) pour former une unité de flottaison creuse ayant un volume inférieur à celui des unités de flottaison du premier ensemble, et des pattes (34) faisant saillie à partir des côtés des unités de flottaison du second ensemble, les pattes du second ensemble étant positionnées de sorte que, lorsque les pattes des unités de flottaison des premier et second ensembles sont connectées, les surfaces supérieures de toutes les unités de flottaison sont sensiblement coplanaires.

24. Procédé d'entraînement d'un bateau sur un ensemble formant dock flottant selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 15.

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